


Seducing A Rock - or Luffy. (The terms are interchangeable, really.)

by AuthenticAussie



Series: Semi-Related Shenanigans [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Finally, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Monster!AU, Resolved Romantic Tension, Romantic Comedy, Unresolved Romantic Tension, vampire!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-11 14:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2071314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthenticAussie/pseuds/AuthenticAussie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro's bouts of idiocy (or genius, he hasn't decided yet,) finally cease to stop him from trying to tell Luffy about his feelings. It's been a long time in coming.</p><p>Although, you know, it's more thanks to Robin than anyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seducing A Rock - or Luffy. (The terms are interchangeable, really.)

The week after that, they celebrated New Year’s. It’s a bit more subdued than it should have been, the loss of Vivi and Carue still a familiar ache that stayed nestled close to their hearts, but like Luffy said; they’d see her again, and she was needed back at her kingdom.

University broke for the holidays, and after having Usopp spend all day holed up in his room studying and regretting not being home to say goodbye to their friend, his sudden reappearance left Zoro with more time to himself, as Usopp relished his freedom from studying by constantly getting Luffy to play video games with him. The vampire happily agreed on the days when he wasn’t half-asleep from a long shift the night before at the gym and Zoro used the time he’s free of hanging around Luffy to go and get presents, fighting through the crowd of late Christmas shoppers with a few muffled curses and strategic jabs with his elbow. Sanji bakes like someone possessed, treats for his cafe and for Nami and the New Year’s party she’s decided to host.

Said party takes place after they all hand out presents from Christmas, (Zoro’s got an extra three pairs of socks in his closet that he’s pretty sure he’s never going to use, but then very quickly lose when he _does_ end up taking them from the drawer) and is a boisterous affair, a good portion of their neighbours showing up at some point during the night to join them. Nami’s friends – a group of crazy, happy-go-lucky sailors who all smell like tangerines and have pinwheels attached to them for some reason – join sometime around eleven and don’t leave until two the next afternoon, but they all bought alcohol with them, which meant that in Zoro’s books, they were pretty okay.

Ace couldn’t come, already out to sea on a voyage, but he sent Luffy down some tickets to see a new boxing match that Zoro had been roped into attending, and Zoro didn’t have anyone close by to invite, so he spent most of the night nursing a drink and studiously avoiding any of the mistletoe hung in the doorways.

At around eleven thirty, just after Nami’s friends had all arrived and the party was in full swing, Zoro was hiding out near the back of the apartment.

Well, not hiding exactly. More like, ‘avoiding any place Luffy was sure to be’. Knowing Luffy, the vampire’d get excited by something and drag him off to see what it was, getting him stuck under the mistletoe in the process. He _wasn’t_ having that happen. After their last kiss, which left Zoro unable to spend more than five minutes with Luffy without red beginning to turn his cheeks into a replica of a fire truck, and a near-constant tingle on his lips that made him subconsciously try to touch them whenever he even _thought_ about Luffy, he’d decided that it’d probably be better to just-

 _Stop_ for a little while. Even if the space wouldn’t help him get rid of his crush, it would at least help him forget about their kiss, or at least tone down his hyperactive thoughts a bit and let him actually spend time with Luffy without constantly over thinking.

Of course, he should have expected he’d get found by one of his flatmates eventually. Robin was the one to find him, and while that was all fine and dandy – she wasn’t as bad as he’d first thought her to be, and she hadn’t done anything awful so far, so he’d decided to trust her for now – what happened after she arrived was not.

Zoro had taken up refuge in a doorframe he _knew_ was free of mistletoe, using it so he could keep an eye on both rooms and duck into one or the other when he spotted Luffy anywhere near him, but he double-checked it as Robin came closer. Just in case she magically sprouted Luffy from somewhere.

Good. Still clear.

He sent her a nod as a greeting, and Robin gave him small smile back, eyes dancing with mischief. Zoro’s eyes narrowed slightly at her look, and the slow niggling of suspicion tickled the back of his mind.

Coughing politely, Robin pointed her finger to the door frame above Zoro’s head, and when he looked up, Zoro’s expression dropped into one of complete horror. Looking back to the Mage with no disguising his panic, he quickly scooted out from under the doorframe... Only to have the mistletoe follow him. At that instance in his life, Zoro fully regretted that Chopper was within hearing distance - as he would have gladly let out a few choice swears. As it was he settled for glaring venomously at Robin, who only chuckled innocently, still holding her glass of cider. Strolling closer - though far enough away that she couldn't get caught with Zoro under the mistletoe - Robin asked, "You look a bit in trouble there, Mr Swordsman. Are you having any difficulties?" Zoro's glare intensified. Robin's smile got bit wider.

God did he _hate_ this woman.

Having already discovered what Luffy did when met with mistletoe, Zoro had fully attempted to avoid going through any doors without checking them first; obviously Robin had decided to scrap _that_ little plan by charming the mistletoe to follow him around.

He’d been staying _away_ from Luffy in a vain effort to try and get over his stupid crush, but that plan was also a bit of a failure, considering that they lived in the same apartment. And now, with mistletoe stuck over him, he was really regretting not getting drunker...Or at least regretting ever meeting Nico Robin.

Giving her another vicious glare, he stalked off, intent on hiding in his room until the spell wore off. Maybe Wado would work in slashing it to bits. Hmm, there was a plan to consider.

Making his way through the crush of people on the bottom floor of the apartment and the clusters on the stairs and second floor, Zoro managed to get to his apartment without accidently getting stuck under the mistletoe with anybody who’d taken more than their fair share of booze. He just _knew_ that the stupid plant would cheerily chirp out his doom as soon as he got caught under it with someone, and he wasn’t looking to try and do that to himself.

Sighing in relief as soon as the door closer behind him, Zoro headed for his room to find his sword, completely missing the footsteps that’d followed behind him the whole time, the music and his mumbled curses covering the minuscule noise.

Just entering his bedroom, he heard the door open and familiar footsteps enter the slightly quieter area, and his whole body stiffened involuntarily. _Oh **no,**_ Zoro thought in desperation, trying to pretend that the owner of the footsteps _wasn’t_ the one person he’d spent almost all night avoiding.

“Zoro! I was looking for you!”

 _Of course it had to be him,_ Zoro cursed, turning around to see Luffy quickly making his way over to Zoro. “Ah, Luffy don’t-!” He quickly shouted, holding his hands out in front of him. “Look, Robin cursed some mistletoe to-,”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence, the cherry voice of the mistletoe interrupting him with the same order it had last time; _kiss._

 _Not again,_ Zoro thought, heart stuttering to a painful stop in his chest, _God, not again **why?** What am I meant to do? He just keeps- And he obviously doesn’t-_

Zoro felt a sick sort of _wrong_ fill him, making his shoulders bunch up as Luffy cheerfully kissed him, lips pressed against his own, and Zoro let him; just for a moment. Just for a second, so he could pretend; so he had the memory of Luffy’s kiss to remember. His eyes felt like there was a burn gathering at the edges, and before he could let it go any further he forced his arms up to shove Luffy away, skin buzzing with how _wrong_ it all felt.

Zoro was just using him; just trying to catch the taste of something he couldn’t have. Luffy didn’t feel anything back. He couldn’t have. He was as see-through as a pane of glass. If he’d had any feelings for the swordsman, than Zoro would’ve figured them out by now, _surely_!

“Will you just _stop it?_ ” Zoro exclaimed angrily, desperately, feeling something choke him, a dead weight crushing his heart, “You don’t _like me_ so why the hell do you have to keep kissing me!? I _hate_ it! I hate it!”

“You don’t _care!_ Well you know what Luffy, I do. Fuck- I-” His hands, unable to rest, combed through his hair, dragging the neat strands askew and tangling around a knot that he forcibly pulled to distract himself from the look of heartbreak on Luffy’s face. “ _Goddamnit_ Luffy, I care way to much okay!?”

Heartbreak?

“You don’t _kiss_ people you don’t like!” Luffy said crossly, his own arms hanging by his side loosely, but he still fastened a glare on the swordsman, looking at the green-haired man like he was an idiot. “ _Honestly_ Zoro.”

“Like-,” Zoro’s mind was frozen, stuck on what Luffy said, and even though he knew how crushing it would be when Luffy told him that he was just that affectionate with everyone, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping. He swallowed, forcing the words out. “Like how.”

Luffy’s ears were turning slightly red, and the vampire mimicked Zoro’s movement from before, running a hand through his hair and messing up the black stands. His hand rested on the back of his neck, and Luffy’s eyes skittered to the side, unable to meet Zoro’s gaze. “Like _like-like_.”

Yep. There it was.

Zoro’s brain was completely stuck.

“Zoro?” Luffy asked, worry colouring his tone, and he took a step towards Zoro again, the mistletoe cheerfully announcing his presence in the circle that was ‘kiss approved’.

Zoro felt his lips twitch, and he couldn’t help it; his mouth slowly spread into a wide grin, happiness bubbling in him like someone had carbonated the contents of his chest and set it loose in his body.  

Luffy’s worried look vanished upon seeing Zoro’s grin, and with his own happy beam he leapt at the human, tangling his limbs around Zoro’s like he usually did. Zoro yelped at the sudden movement, stumbling backwards with both the surprise and the added weight, and he hit the side of his bed, tripping and falling unceremoniously and heavily onto the sheets.

There was a second of stillness, and Zoro almost breathed a sigh of relief, before there was a quiet creak and-

The bed collapsed.

Luffy's laughter filled Zoro's ears, and even though he was winded and in pain from Luffy landing on his stomach, Zoro couldn't help but grin and start to laugh too. "I guess we should have expected that!" He managed to say between chuckles, breathlessly happy, and Luffy nodded his agreement, laughing too hard to even speak.

“Oy, Zoro!” Nami called from the front door, and even as Zoro struggled to sit up, he could hear a splintering sound that was probably Sanji kicking the door in.

Even as he tried to stop laughing, and muster annoyance at having the door to their apartment broken to pieces, Zoro could barely manage to catch his breath.

Clomping feet tore through their apartment, and Sanji, Usopp and Nami all crammed themselves into Zoro’s bedroom door, staring at the broken remains of Zoro’s bed and the two on top of said remains. Robin hung around the back, smile hid behind her open palm, and she twisted her hand secretively, mistletoe vanishing in a tiny swirl of pink blossoms.

There was a moment of silence, before Nami did a fist pump and crowed excitedly.

"Finally!" Nami exclaimed, seeing the two of them tangled up in each other’s limbs, "I thought you'd _never_ get over yourselves! Now everyone can stop dealing with your stupid romantic tension, and all the hearts you pop everywhere when you see Luffy, Zoro."

"Oh come on!" Zoro exclaimed, blush turning everything on his face a blotchy red, and Luffy laughed even harder, holding his stomach and trying to breathe.

"In Zoro's defence," Usopp butted in, shrugging slightly, "Romancing a rock would probably have been easier."

Sanji snorted, lighting up a cigarette, and Zoro would have snapped at him to not smoke in his room if he wasn’t already trying to stop blushing furiously. "I don't know, he had _plenty_ of opportunities."

 _"WILL YOU ALL GET OUT?_ " Zoro exclaimed, cheeks now as red as Luffy’s favourite shirt. Luffy waved at them, and laughing to each other, they trickled from the room.

Aching from his impact with the floor – while cushioned slightly by the mattress, he’d still smashed heads with Luffy and didn’t have any crazy vampire super-healing to deal with people landing on him – Zoro sighed and heaved himself up, Luffy firmly staying attached, even as Zoro tried to poke him off.

All that got was laughter from Luffy, as Zoro poked at one of his ticklish areas, and feeling a smirk inch on his features, Zoro proceeded to commence tickling Luffy, the younger man squirming like crazy to try and get away from Zoro’s hands, and loud laughter filling the air.

Yeah, this was pretty good.

Catching Zoro’s hands in his own, getting the green-haired man to stop his tickling assault for the moment, Luffy kissed Zoro softly, and Zoro could feel Luffy’s grin against his lips.

Life was pretty good.

**Author's Note:**

> Sanji, Nami and Usopp maayyy have been waiting outside the door for any indication that Luffy and Zoro had finally stopped dancing around each other and just kissed. They were more so expecting the two to come out holding hands than the loud crash, but hey. At least their suffering was over with!
> 
> Ahh, thank you guys so much for sticking with me! I really appreciate all the kudos you dropped by on the works, and how many of you bookmarked my work. It's really great to know that people liked my stories!! :3
> 
> I'm happy to see this story set free, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. VuV Thanks again!! ^w^
> 
> Feel free to drop by my tumblr, AuthenticAussie, and drop an ask, prompt, or a request in my ask box; I'm always open! :3 //if a bit slow, ahah.


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